The whole of the public sector will be able to get discounts of up to 45 per cent on IT hardware products following a new agreement reached between the Government and suppliers. The deal has been reached after joint working by the Office of Government Commerce and its trading arm OGCbuying.solutions in an initiative called ‘Great Deals’.

Pre-qualified suppliers were asked to give prices against a common set of specifications for desktop and laptop PCs and screens. This resulted in keenly competitive pricing that will see high specification, quality laptops available at around 430 pounds each with desktops at about 280 pounds.

Hugh Barrett Chief Executive of OGCbuying.solutions said this represented a significant breakthrough for public sector customers and would save them time and money in the purchasing process. “This is a fantastic deal for the public sector. The specifications are designed to handle current propriety software packages and subsequent releases,” he said.

The Great Deals initiative will be refreshed on a quarterly basis so public sector customers can continue to benefit from the most competitive products and pricing in the rapidly evolving IT hardware market. Specifications were developed with the co-operation of a number of public sector organisations.

Richard Abbott, Director of OGC’s Procurement Workstream, said, “The launch of these Great Deals represents a key step in OGC’s work to support departments and the public sector in meeting their efficiency targets, with the ultimate aim of releasing funds for front line services.”